The Ar38 was designed to match the Ti48 Transport. Using the custom I2S digital connection, the pair functions as a high-end CD player but with the added benefits that the separation of the transport and DAC sections convey.

As a standalone product however, the Ar38 is itself a high quality audiophile DAC with upsampling capabilities to 24 bits/96khz.

In designing the Ar38, our aim was to create the most natural sounding digital audio component possible with today's technology. Therefore, the Ar38 only uses a passive second-order filter and discrete Class A analogue stages.

Upsampling CD data results in higher bandwidth of the converted data. This allows the use of a gentle second order filter, following the digital section, to remove most of the ultra-sonic hash (a normal result of the digital-to-analogue conversion) from the analogue output. The use of such a low order filter reduces phase changes and filter-related ringing of the signal.

The entire analogue stage, including the output section, is implemented with a single-ended, Class A, discrete circuit operated without feedback loops. The whole design is DC-coupled, a feature very seldom found in single-ended designs.

When connected to the Ti48 transport, using our custom I2S link, the data can be upsampled in the Ti48 to 24 bits/192khz and then transmitted directly to the Ar38's DAC chips, thereby ensuring that interface jitter is negligible.

Other digital sources connected to the Ar38 using the S/PDIF (coaxial) link will be upsampled to 24 bits/96khz.